Rumors or Truth?
by Bianca tabbycat
Summary: When Stella left New York, what will Mac do? Which of the far-fetched rumors circulating around the lab is true? Smacked and slight Dantana if you squint. Co-written with Zoe tabbycat.


**Rumors or Truth?**

_Summary: When Stella left for New Orleans, no one seemed to know the truth about why and where she had gone. Rumors began to circulate in the lab about her disappearance, each more far-fetched than the last. To what measures would Mac go to reveal the truth? Smacked, Dantana. Co-written with **Zoe tabbycat**._

The glass door of Mac's office was flung open without warning, causing a startled Mac to look up from his cell phone, where he had been rapidly punching the same number repeatedly for what seemed to be the fiftieth time.

"Well?" he demanded. "Have you found her?"

Danny shook his head, out of breath from running up the stairs. "No trace of her," he panted. "I swiped Lindsay's keys to Stella's flat. It's _completely _empty. I mean no clothes, no furniture, no nothing. It's like no one even lived there."

Just then, the door was flung open yet again, revealing a very angry Lindsay Messer, ready to spit fire and spout various swear words that were not suitable for the innocent ears of her five-year-old daughter coming down the hall behind her.

Danny immediately whipped his wife's purse behind his back, pasting on a bright and cheery smile which was as fake as the plastic potted plant on Mac's shelf. "Linds, babe," he greeted in a voice that was too high to be natural. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't 'Linds' me, Daniel Messer!" she growled, her fists clenched as she advanced on her helpless husband. Mac deserted his comfortable seat for the relative safety of the lab, snatching his goddaughter away from the scene with the promise of a lollipop of her choice, sneaked from Adam's secret stash – or to be more accurate, not-so-secret.

Danny watched Mac beat a hasty retreat with a resigned look. At least Lucy would be saved from the great disaster that would soon befall him. Turning his attention back to Lindsay, he gulped. He would be very lucky to make it out of this alive.

"Before you say anything, Linds –" he backpedaled at the dark glower on his wife's face – "Lindsay, I only stole your keys because I was worried about Stella. She hasn't been in for a couple of days and she seemed to have disappeared into thin air. Mac was completely freaking out and I _had _to do something to relief his fears, right?"

Lindsay's prepared tirade faltered. "Well, I guess so," she mumbled, eyes downcast as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other nervously.

Danny frowned as he watched her fidget. He wasn't Lindsay's husband for nothing. He could always tell when she was withholding information from him – like now.

"Linds?" Danny cupped his hands around her face, tilting her head up so that he could meet her eye. "Do _you_ know where Stella is?"

Lindsay squirmed, confirming Danny's suspicions. "Well…" she hesitated. "I… I swore to Stell that I would never tell. I'm sorry, Danny." She looked at him with her huge doe eyes, and he softened under her gaze.

"I know!" Lindsay squealed out of the blue, her face lit up like a Christmas tree. "I'll ask her for permission! But please, don't tell Mac!"

"_What? _Mac had been trying to reach her the whole morning and you knew all along?" Danny groaned and smacked his face. "That was a complete and utter waste of time."

Lindsay, meanwhile, had already bounced out of the office happily; phone in hand, remaining totally oblivious to her husband's grumblings.

_*Rumors or Truth?*_

"_Have you heard? Detective Bonasera was in a car accident!"_

"_No way, that wasn't what I heard! A very trustworthy source told me she'd committed suicide!"_

"_Huh, as if! I know for sure that she was taken to the hospital with some unknown sickness. The doctors are operating on her as we speak!"_

"_That is so wrong! Someone told me that Detective Bonasera and Detective Taylor had a huge argument and they broke up! Apparently, it was so bad that she had to resign!"_

"_You guys are all crazy. Detective Bonasera eloped and ran away with her boyfriend. Apparently, it was some kind of forbidden love; isn't that sweet!"_

Lindsay had to suppress a snort as these various rumors rang in her ears on her way to Danny. She made a mental note to keep Stella up-to-date on the supposed reasons for her disappearance. She knew her best friend would have a laughing fit.

Shaking her head at the hopelessness of her colleagues, she continued on her quest to find Danny. Opening the doors that led to his office, she went in, startling her husband so badly that he spilt his coffee on his desk.

"Danny, I swear, you are as bad as Lucy." She planted her hands on her hips as she looked at his guilty face. "By the way, I've already called Stell. She agreed, but only if you swear on your honor as a CSI that you would _not _tell a single living soul without her permission. Get it?"

Danny nodded forcefully under her glare. "Got it," he confirmed. "Now spill before Mac comes back in with Lucy."

Lindsay cleared her throat importantly. "Okay, and so the truth is…" She paused dramatically to prolong her husband's suffering. "Stella's in New Orleans, where she's the head of the crime lab there."

"But why?" Danny asked, confusion etched across his face. "She was doing perfectly fine here."

"Haven't you heard? She eloped and ran away with her forbidden boyfriend. _Duh!_" Lindsay rolled her eyes.

"What?" Danny's mouth was agape.

"'Course not!" Lindsay burst into giggles, clutching her middle as she bended over. "I was _dying_ to try this out on someone. Though I've got to admit, this is one of the sanest rumor that's going around the lab."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "So… What's the real reason?"

"She loved Mac too much – maybe too much for her own good. She couldn't stand seeing him every day and yet being nothing more than a good friend to him. Especially since he is dating that – what's her name? Oh right, Aubrey Hunter," Lindsay answered solemnly, all trace of playfulness gone.

Danny's brow wrinkled. "Why would she leave her home just over a… romantic issue?"

Lindsay sighed. "Men," she muttered distastefully. "They are so blind."

Danny imitated her, sighing distastefully. "Women," he rolled his eyes. "They are hopelessly sentimental." He then proceeded to duck away in order to avoid being smacked in the head by his snickering wife.

_*Rumors or Truth*_

Stella sighed as she settled down on her new bed in her newly-rented apartment. She knew that Lindsay would ask permission to tell Danny sooner or later. She had absolutely nothing against one more person knowing, since Danny was like a younger brother to her, as long as he promised not to tell anyone, especially not _him_.

She tucked her knees under her chin, letting her thoughts wander back towards the place she still thought of as "home" – after all, home is where the heart is. As she held the images of each wondrous and special thing in New York in her mind, her train of thought still turned towards a particular person who had stolen her heart – Mac Taylor.

Stella wished more than anything in the world that the caring, reliable man was right beside her at that moment, reassuring her in that smoothing, deep voice of his that everything was going to turn out fine. Shaking her head, she gave a bitter laugh at that fantasy. She had already made her decision to cut off all contact with Mac. Her heart seemed to tear at the mention of that name, and hastily, she tried to turn her mind to other mundane matters – like what color she would paint the walls.

_*Rumors or Truth*_

Mac glared at the transparent glass walls forcefully, as though they had sinned against him. Every time he looked at the doors, he would expect Stella to burst through them, hair flying all over the place, demanding to know if he had eaten yet. But of course, that didn't happen.

This was it. He wanted to find her, and he would stop at nothing – absolutely nothing – to get what he wanted. Stalking over to Adam, he demanded for him to subpoena all of Stella's credit card transactions, as well as anything that was out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, Stella was clever and determined enough not to leave a single trace of her whereabouts behind. He groaned in frustration, slapping his hands against the tabletop before thanking Adam.

He left, cursing under his breath, and went over to Lindsay's office. Stella and Lindsay were as thick as thieves, and if Stella told anyone where she had gone, it would have been her.

_*Rumors or Truth*_

Going back into his office, Mac began to slouch – a thing he had always abhorred. He had gotten absolutely nothing from the rest of the CSIs apart from those stupid rumors, though he was almost positive that Danny and Lindsay knew something that he didn't. Sitting down in his swivel chair, he noticed a plain white envelope sitting on his desk.

The envelope was light, Mac noted as he picked it up. Slitting it open, he found a plane ticket to New Orleans, leaving in about four hours. There was also an address typed on a blank piece of A4 paper, with the words good luck scribbled across the back in a distinctive female hand.

He immediately knew who had sent it to him. "_Lindsay, that little sneak! So that was what the expression meant," _Mac mused, thinking about the small wink that Lindsay had given him when he interrogated her. He had thought it was just a muscle deficiency.

He glanced at his watch before hurrying out of the lab to pack and catch a plane, never noticing half of the crime lab watching, ready to come up with the newest far-fetched rumors concerning their bosses.

_*Rumors or Truth*_

"_Stella, who are you kidding? You can't live without him." _

Stella groaned into the phone, shifting on the uncomfortable wooden chair. Lindsay had been harassing her on this topic for the past hour. "Linds," she began, "stop it!"

"_Nuh uh, Stell. You _must_ stop lying to yourself. Anyway, you'll have to deal with your problems soon – say… In approximately five minutes," _Lindsay told her, amusement in her voice. Stella could practically see the devious smirk on her friend's face, despite the fact that they were a good 1000 miles apart.

"Lindsay Monroe Messer!" Stella hissed. "What did you do _this_ time?"

The next thing she knew, she was hearing the dial tone that told her Lindsay had already hung up. She placed the phone back, then flopped down on the couch.

"δεκάρα!" Stella cursed in Greek. She wondered what exactly did Lindsay do as she poured herself a glass of water. All of a sudden, the doorbell rang. Wondering who could it possibly be, Stella left the glass of water on the kitchen counter and open the door, and jumped slightly in surprise. Mac was standing on the other side of the door, fidgeting with the sleeve of his jacket.

Stella cursed mentally. She knew that Lindsay was the one behind Mac's appearance, and the whole conversation on the phone with her finally made some sense. She composed herself, took a deep breath and opened the door.

_*Rumors or Truth*_

Mac looked up as the door opened, his face showing relief and happiness that he had finally found the woman he… _loved. _He had finally admitted to himself that neither Aubrey, Peyton nor any other woman was suitable for him. Ever since Claire had died, Stella had been the rock in his life, making sure that he was still taking care of himself, assuring him that Claire would have wanted him to move on with his life. Somewhere along their relationship, he had fallen in love with her, but just never knew.

Stella looked at him carefully, her green eyes betraying her concern as she took in his disheveled appearance from the lack of sleep and the flight.

"Mac…" Stella sighed. She leaned against the doorpost and crossed her arms, trying to look unconcerned about his presence. _"Damn, with his messed up hair, he looks even hotter than usual," _Stella thought, blushing at the very dirty image that involved a bed, him and her.

"Stella, why did you leave me?" Mac asked, pain showing in every syllable. His blue eyes were filled with hurt and betrayal, daring her to ignore his question.

"Mac, this is my decision. I have a good job offer out here. I…" Stella bit her lip nervously, only to be cut off by Mac hugging her tightly. Too soon, he pulled away, leaving her feeling strangely vulnerable, like he had taken her mental shield away. He placed a piece of paper into her hand and closed her fingers over it gently.

"My hotel room number. Come back to me, Stella mou."

Then he left, leaving Stella standing at the door, alone.

_*Rumors or Truth*_

"_To be or not to be, that is the question,"_ Stella sighed as the quote started floating around her mind. She was in need of desperate help if she was to make up her mind anytime in this century. Who better to ask than her devilish best friend, Lindsay Monroe-Messer?

Dialing the familiar number on the phone, she listened impatiently to the ringing as she took a sip of water. Soon, the bright and cheery voice that she knew well was chattering away next to her ear, telling her how Lucy drew a picture of Mac and Stella, holding hands, eating a lollipop which was as big as their heads.

"It was so sweet," Lindsay gushed over the phone. "Anyway, why did you call me? Wait, don't tell me. You and Mac made up, and snogged the hell out of each other. Tell me, girlfriend, when are you coming back? Lucy misses you so much!"

"Linds, this is exactly why I need your help. He came to see me today, gave me his hotel name and room number, and begged me to come back. What should I do?" Stella wailed.

A snort was heard from the other end. "_Stella! How could you?" _Lindsay groaned. "I can't believe you. What are you, two? Come on, even Lucy knows. Lucy, come over. Aunt Stella's on the phone."

A loud squeal and the pattering of feet could be heard, and Stella smiled inwardly. The young girl's voice was soon heard.

"Aunt Stella!" Lucy chirped sweetly. "I miss you so much. You should come back; I wanna eat your cookies."

Stella didn't even get to greet the little girl before she heard a slight scuffle as the phone switched hands. "See? I told you so. Now there you go; you have your answer!" Lindsay's smug voice was apparent. "Now go and make up and make out with your future husband like a good little girl. Shoo! Off you go."

"Lindsay…" Stella warned, but she was too late. The line was dead again as she was cut off for the second time that evening.

"σκατά!"

_*Rumors or Truth*_

"Alright… So here goes nothing," Stella mumbled under her breath as she dithered outside the JW Marriot Hotel. Inhaling deeply, she took the plunge and went inside the air-conditioned lobby.

Heading for the elevators, she felt her heart pounding loudly against her chest. When she reached the 15th floor, she headed straight for the room, the room where the man she loved stayed.

A couple of seconds after she had rung the doorbell, the door creaked open and Mac appeared, his usual stern demeanor in place. However, it faded as soon as Stella started crying. Opening his arms, he embraced her, tugging her close and allowing her head to rest upon his shoulder. Running his hands through Stella's curly brown hair, Mac made comforting shushing noises to calm her.

"I'm so sorry," Stella managed to choke out between sobs, shaking like a leaf when she hiccupped. "I'm sorry…"

"You're wrong there, Stell," Mac smiled softly. "I'm the one who should be saying that."

He then proceeded to lead Stella into his hotel room, but not before he kicked the door shut with a slam. He wanted to enjoy every moment of this with her.

_*Rumors or Truth*_

_5 years later…_

Stella sat on the cream-coloured sofa, snuggling up to Mac as she watched her two children run around the house, playing a pretend game. Four-year-old Ivy insisted she was a pure white unicorn, while two-year-old Oliver was still too young to understand the whole game, but just enjoyed running around the house, damaging property.

The oven pinged, signaling that the cookies were ready. With great reluctance, Stella left Mac and fetched the sugary treats. After they had cooled down slightly but were still warm enough to ooze chocolate, she gave each kid one cookie.

Seeing her children enjoying their afternoon snack, her mind went back to the fateful night when she had went to the hotel to meet Mac. She was glad that she had 'shooed' and been a 'good girl', according to Lindsay. Now, she had her own fairytale ending.

Life was good.

~The End~

* * *

><p><em>AN: This is, if you haven't noticed, was co-written with **Zoe tabbycat**. We hope you enjoy it, as we also had a lot of fun writing it. We were actually planning to end this story after Mac had left Stella standing at her apartment, but we just couldn't bring ourselves to leave our lovely readers hanging. So, to reward us for our generosity (because it took us another hour and half), please REVIEW! Or else … -death glare- you'll be sorry._

_And so, to end this on a happier note… Please review! Oh, wait, we already said that… Oh well, whatever. Who cares?_

_Bianca tabbycat_

_Zoe tabbycat_

_P.S. HAPPY NEW YEAR! :D_


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